Matt Hardy
| birth_place = Cameron, North Carolina | death_date = | death_place = | resides = Cameron, North Carolina | billed = Cameron, North Carolina | trainer = Dory Funk Jr. | debut = October 15, 1992 | retired = }} Matthew Moore Hardy (September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter, currently signed to WWE performing on the Raw brand. Hardy is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), later renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), as well as in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) with his work as his Broken Matt character, and he has continued to use the character in every independent promotion that he has wrestled in with his real-life brother Jeff (as his "Brother Nero" character) on the independent circuit from August 2016 to March 2017. Matt and Jeff gained notoriety in WWE's tag team division due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. As a tag team wrestler, Hardy is a 11-time world tag team champion, having held six World Tag Team Championships, one WWE Tag Team Championship, ROH World Tag Team Championship, one WCW Tag Team Championship, and two TNA World Tag Team Championships (the only man to have held all the said titles). Apart from his success as a tag team wrestler, Hardy is a three-time world heavyweight champion, having held the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice and the ECW Championship once (neither of these titles are recognized by WWE or Pro Wrestling Illustrated as world championships as of 2017). He has also won the WWE's United States, European, Hardcore, and Cruiserweight Championships once each. All totaled, Hardy has won 18 championships between WWE, ROH and TNA, as well as 43 championships in his entire overall in–ring career. Matt returned to WWE at WrestleMania 33 along with his brother Jeff Hardy in a Fatal Four Way Ladder Match for the Raw Tag Team Titles which they won to become 7-time WWE Tag Team Champions. Wrestling History World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (1998–2005) The Hardy Boyz (1998–2001) Hardy worked as a jobber from 1994 up until he signed a full-time contract. His first WWF match was against Nikolai Volkoff on May 23, 1994, which he lost by submission. He wrestled sporadically throughout 1994 in the WWF, losing matches against Crush, Razor Ramon, Owen Hart and The Undertaker. Hardy continually wrestling with the WWF sporadically, including matches against Hunter Hearst Helmsley and "The Ringmaster" Steve Austin. It was not until 1998, however, that the Hardy brothers were given a full-time WWF contract. The Hardy Boyz used a cruiserweight, fast-paced high flying style in their matches, often leaping from great heights to do damage to their opponents (and themselves in the process). Although Jeff was better known for his extreme moves, Hardy was a prodigious high-flier himself. In 1999, while feuding with Edge and Christian, the duo briefly picked up Michael Hayes as a manager. On July 5, they won their first WWF Tag Team Championship by defeating the Acolytes, but lost it back to them a month later. They soon dumped Hayes however, and joined the short lived stable The New Brood. After breaking away from Gangrel, Hardy and Jeff were briefly managed by Terri Runnels, after they won her services in the first ever tag team Ladder match. In 2000, the Hardy Boyz found a new manager in their real-life friend Lita. Together, the three became known as "Team Xtreme". Throughout 2000 they continued feuding with Edge and Christian, defeating them for the WWF Tag Team Titles on two occasions. At SummerSlam the Hardy Boyz competed in the first ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, for the Tag Team Titles against the Dudley Boys and Edge and Christian, but were unsuccessful. Singles career In 2001, after Jeff's Intercontinental Championship run, Hardy was given a singles championship push. He won the European Championship on SmackDown! four days before Backlash. Hardy believes that he was pushed to win the title because of Jeff winning the Intercontinental Championship, and because of the effort he put into his previous storyline with Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin. He became the second-longest reigning European Champion in history and the longest-reigning American-born European Champion. Throughout the year, the Hardy Boyz continued to win as a tag team, winning the WWF Tag Team Titles two more times, and the WCW Tag Team Titles during the Invasion. By the end of the year, the Hardy Boyz began a storyline where they were having trouble getting along. At the beginning of 2002, it seemed Team Xtreme had patched things up. After the Brand Extension, however, Hardy was relegated to Heat while Jeff wrestled on the main show, Raw. On the August 12 episode of Raw, Hardy turned against Jeff during Jeff's match against Rob Van Dam, because Hardy was frustrated at not receiving a match against Van Dam for the number 1 contendership for the Intercontinental Championship. A short time later, Hardy joined the SmackDown! roster. On the October 3 edition of the show, Hardy took advantage of a run-in from Brock Lesnar to defeat The Undertaker. Having now dubbed himself Matt Hardy: Version 1, and with his MF'er (Mattitude Follower) Shannon Moore in his corner, 2003 began with Hardy frantically trying to lose weight to get under the 220 lb (100 kg). weight limit to compete for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. After just barely making weight, Hardy defeated Billy Kidman at No Way Out to win the Cruiserweight title. At WrestleMania XIX, he successfully defended it against Rey Mysterio. The Mattitude stable then expanded to include Crash Holly as Moore's "Moore-on" (follower). He later disbanded the stable and returned to Raw in order to be able to travel and work with his then girlfriend Lita, who just returned from an injury. He kayfabe turned on Lita on his first night back after teasing a proposal to her. Hardy spent little time on Raw and later turned face by engaging in a rivalry with Kane. Lita was also involved in the storyline, and Hardy took time off after a chokeslam from Kane off the stage during Lita and Kane's wedding. This time off was due to a knee injury. Release and independents (2005) Along with his friend Rhyno, Hardy was released by WWE on April 11, 2005. Edge and Lita received jeers from the crowds at WWE events, often resulting in chants, "You screwed Matt," and, "We want Matt." Paul Heyman, in a "shoot" promo, mocked Edge for his actions at One Night Stand. Lita, for the first time in over five years, turned heel as a result of the affair becoming public knowledge. Fans began a petition on the internet, wanting WWE to resign Hardy, and amassed over fifteen thousand signatures. Hardy released two character promotional vignettes, that he was planning to use before he was offered a new contract by WWE. Hardy called himself The Angelic Diablo with the tagline "the scar will become a symbol" in reference to the way in which he had been treated by Lita and WWE. On the June 20 edition of Raw, during the storyline wedding of Edge and Lita, Hardy's entrance music and video were played when the priest asked if anyone had a reason why Edge and Lita should not be wed. On the July 11 episode of Raw, Hardy made his return, attacking Edge as he made his way to the ring. On the July 13 edition of WWE's webcast Byte This!, which featured Lita as its guest, one of the callers was Hardy himself. The two engaged in a huge argument which led to Lita walking off the set. Hardy appeared at a scheduled Ring of Honor (ROH) event on July 16 in Woodbridge, Connecticut where he defeated Christopher Daniels via submission. Hardy also cut a brief promo where he continued in full 'worked shoot' mode, attacking WWE and John Laurinaitis. Following his official return to WWE, Hardy was met with backlash following a match with Homicide from the fans at a subsequent ROH event, which Hardy won. The next day at his final ROH appearance, he lost to Roderick Strong. Return to World Wrestling Entertainment (2005–2010) On July 11, 2005, Hardy posted on thematthardy.com that he was finally "free", that wrestling fans had not seen the last of him, and that he had a surprise for the fans who had supported him. That night on Raw, Hardy attacked Edge backstage and again later during Edge's match with Kane, leaving the commentators speechless. Before being escorted out of the building by security, Hardy stated that Edge and Lita would pay for their actions and told fans that they could see him at Ring of Honor. Hardy also called out Johnny Ace as he made his way out. This caused an uproar amongst fans, who were confused and wondered if the whole thing was a work or a shoot. Similar occurrences repeated during the following two weeks. On the August 1 edition of Raw, Vince McMahon officially announced Hardy's return to WWE, adding that Hardy would face Edge at SummerSlam. Hardy made his in-ring return, defeating Snitsky on the August 8 Raw. Seconds after the victory, Hardy was attacked by Edge, and as he was being carried backstage, Matt counterattacked Edge in the locker room. On August 21 at SummerSlam, their match came to a premature end when Edge dropped Hardy onto the top of a ring post, causing him to bleed heavily. The referee ended the match on the grounds that Hardy could not continue, and Edge was declared the winner. After SummerSlam, the two continued fighting on Raw, including a Street Fight that resulted in Hardy performing a Side Effect on Edge off the entrance stage and into electrical equipment below. At Unforgiven, Edge faced Hardy in a steel cage match. Hardy caught an interfering Lita with the Twist of Fate and won the match with a leg-drop off the top of the cage. Hardy and Edge faced each other at WWE Homecoming in a Loser Leaves Raw ladder match. Edge's briefcase holding the contract for his WWE World title shot was suspended above the ring. The winner of the match received the contract and the loser was forced to leave Raw. After a contentious match, Edge tied Hardy's arms in the ropes, and Lita trapped Hardy in a crucifix hold, leaving Hardy only able to watch Edge win. When the match ended, Edge and Lita gloated over the victory, but Hardy took it in stride and left the arena. With his defeat at the hands of Edge, Hardy was moved to SmackDown! where he re-debuted with a win over Simon Dean on October 21 in Reno, Nevada. Back on SmackDown!, Hardy started an angle with MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) and their manager Melina when Melina approached Hardy, seemingly wanting Hardy to join with her team. Hardy refused the offer, which led to him facing the tag team on several occasions with a variety of partners. One of his partners, Road Warrior Animal, brutally attacked him after they were defeated - sick of "pulling all the weight in tag teams". Animal, who was renamed The Road Warrior, and Hardy feuded for a while after this, with Hardy picking up several wins over the veteran, including a qualifying match for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22, which was ultimately won by Rob Van Dam. Hardy next competed in the SmackDown! King of the Ring tournament, losing to eventual winner Booker T in the opening round thanks to a low blow and distraction from Sharmell. Hardy also became the first man to defeat Mr. Kennedy. On July 25, after the SmackDown! taping, Hardy was taken out of action after doctors found the remnants of the staph infection that had plagued him the previous year. He was sidelined until August 25 while he healed. Hardy made a surprise appearance backstage at Unforgiven after Jeff's match against Johnny Nitro. Lita joined the two in the segment, making this the first time the three had been seen together on WWE television since February 2003. Hardy then began a rivalry against Gregory Helms which saw both winning over each other time and time again. Then at No Mercy, in both of their hometown, Cameron, North Carolina, Hardy beat Helms. The two met again one more time at Survivor Series, where Hardy's team won in a clean sweep. The Hardys reunion (2006–2007) On the November 21, 2006 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Hardy and Jeff competed in a match together for the first time in almost five years, defeating the Full Blooded Italians. At Survivor Series, the Hardy Boyz were scheduled to compete with CM Punk along with Triple H and Shawn Michaels as part of Team DX versus Team Rated-RKO (which included Edge, Randy Orton, Johnny Nitro with Melina, Mike Knox, and Gregory Helms) in a traditional Survivor Series match. Team DX won with a shut out, last eliminating Orton. At December to Dismember, the Hardy Boyz issued an open challenge to any tag team who wanted to face them. MNM answered their challenge by reuniting at December to Dismember, but ultimately lost to the Hardy Boyz. At Armageddon, Hardy and Jeff competed against Paul London and Brian Kendrick, MNM, and Dave Taylor and William Regal in a Ladder match but lost. Subsequently, he and Jeff feuded with Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro after the legitimate incident where they injured Mercury's face at Armageddon 2006. This led to a bitter long term rivalry, and at the 2007 Royal Rumble, Hardy and Jeff defeated MNM. Mercury and Hardy continued to feud until Mercury was released from WWE in March. Before Mercury's release, however, Hardy defeated him to earn a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23, which was ultimately won by Mr. Kennedy. The next night on Raw, the Hardys competed in a 10-team battle royal for the World Tag Team Championship. They won the titles for the sixth time after last eliminating Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. After briefly feuding with Cade and Murdoch, the Hardys retained their World Tag Team Championships in their first title defense at Backlash. On the June 4 episode of Raw, however, The Hardys lost their titles to Cade and Murdoch, after Murdoch pushed Jeff's foot off the bottom rope during Cade's pinfall, causing the three count to continue. Feud with MVP (2007–2008) On the July 6, 2007 edition of SmackDown!, Hardy won a non-title match against WWE United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), which resulted in a feud between the two. Hardy was unable to defeat MVP at The Great American Bash for the WWE United States Championship. MVP then claimed that he was "better than Hardy at everything", which led to a series of contests between Hardy and MVP, such as a basketball game, an arm wrestling contest, and a chess match which MVP "sneezed" on and ruined when Hardy put him in check. MVP challenged Hardy to a boxing match at Saturday Night's Main Event, however MVP was legitimately diagnosed with the heart condition Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Since MVP was unable to compete, Hardy faced his replacement, former world champion boxer, Evander Holyfield. The match ended in a no-contest after MVP entered the ring to verbally abuse Holyfield, who then knocked him out. MVP also challenged Hardy to a beer drinking contest at SummerSlam, but as revenge for what happened at SNME, Hardy allowed Stone Cold Steve Austin to replace him; Austin simply stunned MVP then kept drinking. After a segment involving MVP inadvertently choosing Hardy as his tag-team partner, Theodore Long promptly set up a match against Deuce 'n Domino for the WWE Tag Team Championship which the duo were able to win, therefore setting up Hardy's first reign as WWE Tag Team Champion. It was the first time Hardy has held a Tag Team championship with someone other than his brother. Hardy and MVP retained the titles at Unforgiven in a rematch against former champions Deuce 'n Domino. Hardy was scheduled to face MVP at Cyber Sunday, but due to a head injury sustained on the previous episode of SmackDown!, he was not medically cleared to compete. On the November 16 edition of SmackDown!, Hardy and MVP dropped the WWE Tag Team Championship to John Morrison and The Miz. Despite the fact that Hardy was hurt, MVP immediately invoked the rematch clause. After the rematch, in which Hardy was forced to tap out, MVP attacked Hardy, repeatedly targeting his knee. It was later confirmed by WWE.com that Hardy had suffered an injury at his former partner's hands and that he might not be able to compete at Survivor Series. Despite his absence at the pay-per-view, his team was able to win the match. On November 21, WWE.com reported that Hardy underwent an emergency appendectomy in Tampa, Florida. A CT scan revealed an inflamed appendix after Hardy was feeling extreme pain. Later surgery revealed that his appendix had already burst. According to Hardy himself on his MySpace, on December 8 doctors back in North Carolina found an abscess of infection that had not been caught, and he had it drained, spending an additional several days in the hospital. Hardy made an appearance at the December 31 edition of Raw supporting his brother Jeff. To further Jeff's storyline with Randy Orton, however, Hardy was kayfabe attacked by Orton. Hardy made his return at a live event in Muncie, Indiana on March 1, 2008. On March 30, at WrestleMania XXIV, Hardy made his televised return to WWE programming in the Money in the Bank ladder match by cutting through the crowd and preventing MVP from grabbing the briefcase. He made his official in-ring return the next night on Raw, losing a singles match to WWE Champion Randy Orton. On the April 4 edition of SmackDown!, Hardy faced MVP in a non-title match, which he won, re-igniting their feud. On April 27, 2008, Hardy defeated MVP to win the United States Championship at Backlash. ECW (2008–2009) After some sporadic feuds for the title, Hardy was drafted to the ECW brand on the June 23, 2008 edition of Raw during the 2008 WWE Draft, in the process making the United States Championship exclusive to ECW. He dropped the United States Championship to Shelton Benjamin at the Great American Bash on July 20, 2008, which meant that the title returned to SmackDown. On the July 22 edition of ECW, Hardy became the number one contender to Mark Henry's ECW Championship after defeating John Morrison, The Miz and Finlay in a Fatal Four-Way match. He won the title match at SummerSlam by disqualification due to interference from Henry's manager, Tony Atlas, thus he failed to win the title. Due to the ending of the pay-per-view match, Hardy received a rematch for the title on the next edition of ECW, but again failed to win the title when Henry pinned him after a distraction by Atlas. At Unforgiven, Hardy won the ECW Championship during the Championship scramble, defeating then-champion Henry, The Miz, Finlay and Chavo Guerrero by pinning the Miz with three minutes left, thus making Hardy the first person in history to win a championship scramble in WWE. He lost the Championship to Jack Swagger on the January 13 Episode of ECW. He got his rematch at Royal Rumble but lost again, later on in the same night he turned heel after attacking his brother Jeff Hardy with the steel chair, costing him the WWE Championship which Edge won. Theodore Long would then make an announcement on ECW that Matt would demand to move to Smackdown. Smackdown and feud with Jeff Matt would quickly start a feud with Jeff after admitting he was involved in all of Jeff's accidents(kayfabe) and he would face Jeff Hardy at Wrestlemania XXV in an Extreme Rules match, which Matt won. He would then defeat Jeff in a Stretcher Match the following week on Smackdown. On the 13th April, Matt was drafted to Raw and at Backlash Matt lost to Jeff in a I Quit Match in which he broke his hand. Move to Raw Matt would then be in the WWE United States Championship picture after saying to Kofi Kingston, MVP and William Regal that he is the first in line for the United States title. He lost these matches and would compete for it again against MVP and the champion Kofi Kingston in which he lost and also his 'intestines' exploded through his abdominal wall. He suffered this tear in the abdominal muscle two years ago and gradually gotten worse because at that time it didn't need surgery. Return to Smackdown (2009-2010) He was then traded to the SmackDown brand on June 29, and underwent surgery for the torn abdominal muscle on July 2. He made his return on the August 7 episode of SmackDown as the special guest referee in the World Heavyweight Championship match between his brother, Jeff, and CM Punk, and helped Jeff retain the championship by counting the pinfall. The following week Hardy saved his brother when CM Punk and The Hart Dynasty attacked both Jeff and John Morrison, turning into a fan favorite again. On the August 21 episode of SmackDown, after apologizing for his past actions towards Jeff, he had his first match back after his injury when he teamed with Jeff and John Morrison to defeat The Hart Dynasty and CM Punk. In early 2010, Hardy began an onscreen relationship with Maria; the relationship was short-lived, however, as Maria was released from her WWE contract. On the February 16, 2010 episode of ECW, it was announced that Hardy would be mentoring Justin Gabriel on WWE NXT. On the March 5 episode of SmackDown, Hardy qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXVI by defeating Drew McIntyre, but was unsuccessful at WrestleMania, as the match was won by Jack Swagger. Hardy was kayfabe suspended by Vince McMahon because he attacked Drew McIntyre after McIntyre lost to Kofi Kingston at Over the Limit. He was able to get his revenge on McIntyre during the Viewer's Choice episode of Raw when chosen as the opponent for McIntyre, with Theodore Long stating that Hardy was suspended from SmackDown but not from Raw. On the following edition of Smackdown however, McIntyre announced per orders of Vince McMahon, that Hardy had been suspended from all WWE programming. At Fatal 4-Way however, Hardy prevented McIntyre from regaining the Intercontinental Championship, thus continuing their feud. On the following edition of SmackDown he was reinstated by General Manager Theodore Long and had a match with McIntyre which Hardy won. After the match, it was announced that McIntyre's visa had legitimately expired and was sent back to Scotland, thus ending their feud. On October 15, 2010, WWE announced that Hardy had been released from his contract.Soon after Hardy stated that his release was official two weeks before it's announced. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2011) On January 9, 2011, Hardy made his debut for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) at the Genesis pay-per-view, as part of the heel stable Immortal. He was the surprise opponent for Rob Van Dam, and defeated him to prevent Van Dam from receiving a match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, held by Hardy's brother Jeff. In the main event, Hardy attempted to interfere in Jeff's World Heavyweight Championship match with Mr. Anderson, but was stopped by Van Dam, which led to Jeff losing both the match and the championship. On the January 13 episode of TNA Impact! the Hardy Boyz reunited to defeat Anderson and Van Dam in a tag team match, following interference from Beer Money, Inc.. Two weeks later, Hardy suffered his first loss in TNA when he was defeated by Mr. Anderson. On February 13 at Against All Odds, Rob Van Dam defeated Hardy in a rematch. On the following edition of Impact!, Hardy aligned himself with Ric Flair, as he turned on Fortune and jumped to Immortal. On March 13 at Victory Road Hardy was defeated by Flair's previous protégé, A.J. Styles. On April 17 at Lockdown, Immortal, represented by Hardy, Abyss, Bully Ray and Ric Flair, was defeated by Fortune members James Storm, Kazarian and Robert Roode and Christopher Daniels, who replaced an injured A.J. Styles, in a Lethal Lockdown match. On the April 21 episode of Impact!, Hardy faced Sting for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Hardy's first World Title match in TNA, but was defeated. The following month Hardy was granted a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship against James Storm and Robert Roode, Beer Money, Inc. While the champions looked to defend the title against the Hardy Boyz, Matt instead introduced the returning Chris Harris, Storm's old tag team partner, as his partner for the title match. The match took place at Sacrifice, where Storm and Roode retained their title. On June 20 Hardy announced that he was taking a few weeks off from TNA. On August 20, Hardy was released from TNA following a DWI arrest that occurred earlier that same day. Independent circuit (2011–present) Hardy announced his retirement from full-time professional wrestling due to injuries on September 1, 2011. In 2012, Hardy would wrestle sporadically on the independent circuit, working with promotions such as Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Syndicate and Northeast Wrestling. On September 22, 2012, hardy defeated Sami Callihan at Northeast Wrestling's Under the Stars event. On October 5, Hardy was defeated by Kevin Steen at Pro Wrestling Xperience's An Evil Twist of Fate. On October 19, Hardy was defeated by Eddie Edwards at Scuared Circle Wrestling's V2 event. On October 26, Hardy defeated Chris Masters in the Big Time Wrestling 16º Anniversary Show. On November 11, Hardy, as the masked wrestler Rhaway Reaper, defeated the Pro Wrestling Syndicate Kevin Matthews, winning the championship. On November 17 in the main event of Extreme Rising Remember November iPPV Hardy wrestled Shane Douglas to a no contest after Luke Hawx interfered and pushed Hardy off the top rope to the floor, legitimately injuring him. At Extreme Rising's third iPPV on December, 29 Hardy defeated Sabu. On February 9, 2013 Hardy lost the Pro Wrestling Syndicate Championship back to Kevin Matthews. On February 16, at Family Wrestling Entertainment's No Limit, Hardy wrestled a TLC match for the FWE Heavyweight Championship against the champion Carlito and Tommy Dreamer, but he was defeated. On November 9, 2013, Hardy and Devon defeated Homicide and Eddie Kingston at House of Hardcore 3. On November 30, 2013, at WrestleCade, Hardy defeated Carlito to become the first ever Wrestlecade champion. On December 28, at Extreme Rising Unfininished Business iPPV, Hardy was defeated by Luke Hawx in a Steel Cage Grudge Match, probably ending their year-long feud. On October 4, Hardy lost the MCW Heavyweight Championship back to Drolix, following outside interference from Kevin Eck. On November 1, 2014, Hardy made his debut for the Japanese Wrestle-1 promotion, losing to Seiya Sanada in a three-way match, which also included Tajiri. Return to ROH (2012–2014) On September 11, 2012, ROH announced that Hardy would be returning to the promotion, with his first appearance being at Death Before Dishonor X: State of Emergency. At the pay-per-view, Hardy confronted Adam Cole and challenged him to a match for the ROH World Television Championship, thus establishing himself as a heel character. On December 16 at Final Battle 2012: Doomsday, Hardy defeated Cole in a non-title match. At the following iPPV, 11th Anniversary Show on March 2, 2013, Hardy joined the villainous S.C.U.M. stable. On April 5 at the Supercard of Honor VII iPPV, Hardy unsuccessfully challenged Matt Taven for the ROH World Television Championship in a three way elimination match, which also included Adam Cole. On June 22 at Best in the World 2013, Hardy defeated former S.C.U.M. stablemate Kevin Steen in a No Disqualification match to become the number one contender to the ROH World Championship. Hardy received his title shot at the following day's Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings, but was defeated by the defending champion, Jay Briscoe. Later that same day, S.C.U.M. was forced to disband after losing a Steel Cage Warfare match against Team ROH. On December 14, 2013 at Final Battle 2013, Hardy defeated Adam Page in a singles match, later on in the main event Hardy aided Adam Cole in retaining his title and forming a tag team with him. After Hardy's client Adam Cole defeated Jay Briscoe to become the Undisputed Ring of Honor World Champion, Cole presented Jay Briscoe's custom made world championship belt (Briscoe claimed to still be the Ring of Honor champion as he forfeited the title due to injury and never officially lost it) to Hardy as a show of appreciation, Hardy re-branded the belt as the Ring of Honor Iconic (Innovative Creator and Originator of a New-Found Industry Champion Championship), however, the title has not been sanctioned as an official championship by Ring of Honor. On June 22, 2014, at Best in the World Hardy and Michael Bennett were defeated by The Briscoe Brothers in a no disqualification tag team match. In July, Hardy opted out of his ROH contract and went back to TNA. OMEGA Championship Wrestling (2013–2017) On January 15, 2013, Hardy announced the return of OMEGA Championship Wrestling in Durham, North Carolina the main event featured Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, James Storm and Shane Helms defeating Lodi, Gunner, Steve Corino and C.W. Anderson. On October 12, Hardy defeated C.W. Anderson to advance in the Finals of the OMEGA Heavyweight Championship Tournament. After the match Willow would appear saving Hardy and the rest from an after match beatdown. Matt then would continue to lose a match before the finals. Leaving people wondering if he could win the title. On April 26, 2014, at OMEGA Chaos in Cameron The Hardys defeated The Briscoe Brothers. Return to TNA Wrestling (2014–2017) On June 16, 2014, TNA announced that Hardy would return to TNA at the their Impact Wrestling Tapings in New York on June 25 to reunitie with brother, Jeff Hardy. At the Destination X edition of Impact Wrestling, The Hardys were defeated by The Wolves in a match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. The next week, Matt was one of many TNA wrestlers who stopped Dixie Carter from running away from Team 3D, which led to Carter being put through a table. On the August 14 episode of Impact Wrestling, Team 3D challenged The Hardys to a match, which Team 3D won. At the Hardcore Justice edition of Impact Wrestling, The Hardys and Team 3D talked about a match involving themselves and The Wolves. When The Wolves were asked by the two teams, they agreed. Later that night, Kurt Angle announced all three teams would compete in a best of three series for the TNA World Tag Team Championships with the winners of the first match choosing the stipulation of the next one. The Hardys did not win the series. Matt Hardy wrestled his first singles match since April 21, 2011 and defeated Magnus. The Hardys entered in a #1 contenders tournament for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championships. On the October 22 edition of Impact Wrestling,'' The Hardys defeated The BroMans in the first round to advance in the tournament. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling ''The Hardys defeated Ethan Carter III and Tyrus to advance to the finals of the tournament. The following week The Hardys defeated Samoa Joe and Low Ki in the finals of the tournament and would challenge The Wolves for the TNA World Tag Team Championships. On the January 16, 2015 episode of Impact Wrestling, The Hardys defeated the Wolves. on the January 23 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy defeated James Storm. At the Lockdown episode of Impact Wrestling, The Hardy Boyz faced The Revolution in a “6 sides of steel” cage match for the TNA tag team championship during the match Hardy suffered a minor concussion which was set as a storyline injury When he fell on the door of the cage, James Storm hit Hardy off the door onto the steel steps below with a cowbell in the end they lost the match. on the February 20 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy and The Wolves defeated The Revolution in a 6-man tag team match. On March 10, 2015, TNA announced that Matt hardy has signed a full-time contract with the company. In March, The Hardys participated in a tournament for the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship. On March 16, Matt and Jeff won the Ultimate X match for the titles. On May 8, 2015, Matt vacated the TNA World Tag Team Championships due to his brother Jeff Hardy being injured. Championship pursuits and heel turn (2015–2017) On June 28, 2015, Matt was among the five wrestlers who competed for the TNA King of the Mountain Championship at Slammiversary, with Jeff Jarrett ultimately emerging victorious. On the July 8 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy requested a world title shot against Ethan Carter III, but was denied and forced to face the Dirty Heels (Austin Aries and Bobby Roode) in a handicap match, which he lost. On the July 22 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy defeated Roode in a Tables Match to become the #1 contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the August 5 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy got his shot at the title against EC3 in a Full Metal Mayhem match but failed to win the title. On the August 5 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy defeated Tyrus. On the September 2 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy got another shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against EC3, but again failed to win the title; as part of the storyline, Jeff Hardy was forced to act as Ethan Carter's personal assistant. On the September 30 edition of Impact Wrestling, Matt was added to the Ethan Carter III vs. Drew Galloway main event match for the World Championship at Bound for Glory after he and Galloway defeated Carter and Tyrus, making it a three-way match—following which Jeff, who EC3 had just "fired" in the previous episode, was revealed to be the special guest referee. On October 4 at Bound for Glory, Matt won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship by pinning Galloway, making Hardy the third man in wrestling history to win the ECW Championship and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship since Christian Cage, and Lashley. However, EC3 filed an injunction (Kayfabe) that banned Matt Hardy from appearing on ''Impact for a month, which forced Hardy to relinquish the title in order to stay on the show. However, Hardy has been participating in the TNA World Title Series for the vacant title. He qualified to the round of 16 by defeating Davey Richards, Robbie E and Eddie Edwards. He then advanced to the round of 8 by defeating the King of the Mountain Champion Bobby Roode and then to Jessie Godderz to continue his winning streak. The semifinals and finals were held on the January 5, 2016, live episode of Impact Wrestling during its debut on Pop TV, in which he defeated Eric Young to advance to the finals round. However, in the main event Hardy was unable to win the TNA World Title Series tournament and therefore unable to win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship as the match was ultimately won by Ethan Carter III. On January 8, 2016, Hardy won back the title from EC3 after an assist from EC3's bodyguard Tyrus. Broken Matt Hardy Hardy returned on May 17 episode of Impact Wrestling, revealing himself to be one of the impostor Willows behind the attacks on his brother Jeff. He would later attack Jeff during that episode's main event, pushing him off the turnbuckle when he was attempting the Swanton Bomb on Mike Bennett. In the following weeks, Hardy would debut a new persona as a disheveled man with a strange accent, blaming Jeff (who he began to refer to as "Brother Nero") for breaking him. At Slammiversary Matt was defeated by Jeff in a Full Metal Mayhem match. Matt was also defeated by Jeff in a Six Sides of Steel match on the June 21 edition of Impact Wrestling. On the June 28 episode, Matt challenged Jeff to a final battle with the Hardy brand on the line, to take place at their home in Cameron, North Carolina the next week, ending with Matt attacking Jeff. On the July 5 episode, Matt defeated Jeff in the match (dubbed "The Final Deletion") to become sole owner of the Hardy brand. Return to ROH (2017) On March 4, 2017, Hardy returned to Ring of Honor at Manhattan Mayhem VI and where he teamed with his brother and they defeated The Young Bucks for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. They lost the title back to The Young Bucks in a ladder match on April 1 at Supercard of Honor XI it was announced after the match that both Matt and Jeff Hardy's contracts expired. Second return to WWE (2017–present) Matt returned to WrestleMania 33 along with his brother Jeff Hardy in a Fatal Four Way Ladder Match for the Raw Tag Team Titles and they won to become 7-time WWE Tag Team Champions against Enzo and Big Cass, Gallows and Anderson, and Sheamus and Cesaro. Personal life Son to Gilbert and Ruby Moore Hardy, he is the older brother of Jeff Hardy. Their mother died of brain cancer in 1986. Hardy played baseball as a child, and played throughout high school, but had stopped by his senior year. He also played football, as a linebacker or a defensive end. Hardy was a good student at Union Pines High School in North Carolina, and was a nominee for the "Morehead Award", a scholarship to any university in North Carolina. Hardy attended University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he majored in engineering; however, after a year he dropped out due to his father being ill. He then attended Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst to gain his associate degree. Hardy is good friends with Marty Garner, Shannon Moore and Gregory Helms. Hardy was in a six-year relationship with former WWE Diva Amy Dumas, known by the ring name "Lita". They first met in January 1999, at a NWA Mid-Atlantic show, but did not begin dating until a few months later. They used to share a home in North Carolina. The couple broke up when she had an affair with one of Hardy's close friends, fellow wrestler Adam "Edge" Copeland in February 2005. Hardy has stated in interviews that he and Dumas have since patched things up, and he still considers her a close friend. He also dated former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro. In February 2011, Hardy stated he was dating Reby Sky. He has married Reby and now has a son called Maxel. Trivia *Ric Flair and Macho Man were Hardy's favorite wrestlers when he was growing up. Quotes In wrestling *'Finishing moves' **''Ice Pick'' (TNA) / White Light Experience (Independent circuit) (Double underhook with bodyscissors) **''Twist of Fate, sometimes from the top rope (WWF/E) / ''Twist of Hate (TNA) *'Signature moves' **Corner clothesline followed by a running bulldog **Corner sitout powerbomb **Diving elbow drop, sometimes to the back of a bent-over or kneeling opponent's head, with theatrics **Diving leg drop, with theatrics **Forearm smash **Inverted DDT **Moonsault **Northern Lights suplex **''Ricochet'' (Belly to back suplex lifted and dropped into an elbow drop to the opponent's midsection) – 2003 **Russian legsweep **''Side Effect'' (Sitout side slam) **Sleeper slam while falling backward **''Splash Mountain'' (Sitout crucifix powerbomb) *'Managers' **Michael Hayes **Terri Runnels **Gangrel **Lita **Ric Flair **Reby Sky *'Nicknames' **"Version 1 (V1)" **"The Sensei of Mattitude" **"The Angelic Diablo" **'"The Man Who Will Not Die"' **"(Arguably) Everyone's Favorite Wrestler" **"Cold Blood" **"The Black Cloud" **"The Black-Hearted Brother" **"Million Dollar" **'"The (Self Proclaimed) Icon"' **"The Innotative Creator and Originator of a Newfound Industry Champion" *'Entrance themes' **'"Loaded" by Zack Tempest' (WWF/E, OMEGA; Used while teaming with his brother Jeff) **"Live for the Moment" by Monster Magnet (WWE; 2002–2010) **"Rogue and Cold Blooded" by Dale Oliver (TNA; January 9, 2011 – August 20, 2011) ** "Immortals" by Dale Oliver (TNA; Used while a part of Immortal) **'"Reptillian"' by Jeff Hardy and Dale Oliver (used while teaming with Jeff Hardy; July 31, 2014 – present) **"Another White Lie" by Voodoo Johnson (ROH) ** "Dirty Angel" by Voodoo Johnson (ROH; used while part of S.C.U.M.) **"Loaded" by Zack Tempest (Wrestle-1) Championships and accomplishments *'Carolinia Wrestling Federation' **CWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *'Maryland Championship Wrestling' **MCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **Extreme Rising Championship (1 time) *'National Championship Wrestling' **NCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **NCW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *'New Dimension Wrestling' **NDW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jeff Hardy **NDW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *'New England Wrestling Alliance' **NEWA Championship (1 time) **NEWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2012) *'New Frontier Wrestling Association' **NFWA Championship (1 time) **NFWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Venom *'NWA 2000' **NWA 2000 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jeff Hardy *'Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts' **OMEGA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **OMEGA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jeff Hardy *'Pro Wrestling Illustrated' **PWI Feud of the Year (2005)vs. Edge and Lita **PWI Match of the Year (2000) with Jeff Hardy vs. The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian at WrestleMania 2000 **PWI Match of the Year (2001) with Jeff Hardy vs. The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian at WrestleMania X-Seven **PWI Tag Team of the Year (2000) with Jeff Hardy **PWI ranked him #'17' of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2003 *'Pro Wrestling Syndicate' **PWS Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * [[House Of Glory|'House Of Glory']] ** HOG Tag Team Championship (1 time) w/ Jeff Hardy) *'Ring Of Honor' **ROH Iconic Championship (1 time) **ROH World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jeff Hardy *'Total Nonstop Action Wrestling' **TNA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times) **TNA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Jeff Hardy ** TNA World Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2014) - with Jeff Hardy * World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment **ECW Championship (1 time) **WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Jeff Hardy **WWF European Championship (1 time) **WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time) **WWF/World Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Jeff Hardy **WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jeff Hardy **WWE Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) **WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Montel Vontavious Porter **WWE United States Championship (1 time) **Terri Invitational Tournament – with Jeff Hardy **2009 Bragging Rights Trophy - as a member of Team SmackDown with Chris Jericho, Kane, R-Truth, Finlay and The Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd) *'WrestleCade' **WrestleCade Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *'Wrestling Observer Newsletter' **Best Gimmick (2002) **Worst Feud of the Year (2004) with Lita vs. Kane See also *Matt Hardy’s event history External links * WWE.com Profile * TNA.com Profile * Matt Hardy profile at CAGEMATCH.net * myspace.com/theonlymatthardy *TheHardyShow.com Category:American wrestlers Category:North Carolina wrestlers Category:WWE Tag Team Champions Category:WWE World Tag Team Champions Category:WWE Hardcore Champions Category:WWE European Champions Category:WWE Cruiserweight Champions Category:ECW World Heavyweight Champions Category:1974 births Category:1992 debuts Category:All Pro Wrestling alumni Category:Allied Powers Wrestling Federation alumni Category:Alpha Omega Wrestling alumni Category:Big Time Wrestling alumni Category:Continental Wrestling Federation alumni Category:Crossfire Wrestling alumni Category:DREAMWAVE Wrestling alumni Category:East Coast Wrestling Association alumni Category:Elite Championship Wrestling alumni Category:Empire State Wrestling alumni Category:Extreme Rising alumni Category:Family Wrestling Entertainment alumni Category:Fighting Spirit Pro alumni Category:Future Stars Of Wrestling alumni Category:Great Lakes Championship Wrestling alumni Category:Heavy On Wrestling alumni Category:House Of Hardcore alumni Category:International Wrestling Cartel alumni Category:International Wrestling Federation alumni Category:IWA East Coast alumni Category:Jersey All Pro Wrestling alumni Category:Juggalo Championship Wrestling alumni Category:Maryland Championship Wrestling alumni Category:National Wrestling Superstars alumni Category:Northeast Wrestling alumni Category:NWA Wildside alumni Category:Ohio Valley Wrestling alumni Category:Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts alumni Category:Premier Wrestling Xperience alumni Category:Pro Wrestling Alliance alumni Category:Pro Wrestling Syndicate alumni Category:Renegade Wrestling Alliance alumni Category:Resistance Pro alumni Category:Ring of Honor alumni Category:Smoky Mountain Wrestling alumni Category:Southern Championship Wrestling Florida alumni Category:Squared Circle Wrestling alumni Category:Top Rope Promotions alumni Category:Total Nonstop Action Wrestling alumni Category:Ultimate Pro Wrestling alumni Category:Vendetta Pro Wrestling alumni Category:Warriors Of Wrestling alumni Category:World Championship Wrestling alumni Category:World Wrestling Entertainment current roster Category:WRESTLE-1 alumni Category:WrestleCon alumni Category:WrestleForce alumni Category:WrestleReunion alumni Category:Wrestling Cares Association alumni Category:MCW Heavyweight champions Category:TNA World Tag Team Champions Category:Hardy family Category:Asistencia Asesoría y Administración alumni Category:Preston City Wrestling alumni Category:Pro Wrestling Rampage alumni Category:Heartland Wrestling Association alumni Category:IWA Puerto Rico alumni Category:Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling alumni Category:Southern Championship Wrestling alumni Category:World Wrestling Alliance alumni Category:Living people Category:TNA World Heavyweight Champions Category:WrestleMerica alumni Category:Male wrestlers Category:WWE United States Champions Category:America's Most Liked Wrestling alumni Category:ROH World Tag Team Champions Category:All American Wrestling alumni Category:Brew City Wrestling alumni Category:British Championship Wrestling alumni Category:Carolina Wrestling Federation Mid-Atlantic alumni Category:Global Force Wrestling alumni Category:House Of Glory alumni Category:Pro Wrestling Blitz alumni Category:Remix Pro Wrestling alumni Category:The Crash alumni Category:The Imperial Wrestling Revolution alumni Category:Ultimate Championship Wrestling alumni Category:UltraWrestle alumni Category:What Culture Pro Wrestling alumni Category:WrestleCade alumni Category:WrestleCircus alumni Category:WrestlePro alumni Category:Xtreme Wrestling Alliance alumni Category:Dominion Championship Wrestling alumni